into the sponge, agrees fairly with this species. Sponge 30 millim.
long, 20 millim. high, 10 millim. in greatest thickness. The
main-skeleton lines are somewhat more abundantly spicular.
Hah. Tho first specimen. Port Curtis, Queensland, 11 fms. ; the
latter specimen, Port Darwin.
49. Pellina eusiphonia. ( P l a t e XLI. fig. x.)
Massive, sessile, horizontal in growth. Surface even, smooth.
Vents formed by prominent thin-walled tubes, 3 to 4 millim. in
diameter, ranging in length up to 12 millim., numerous, aggregated
on upper surface of sponge, anastomosing with each other ; thickness
of wall about '2 millim. Texture in spirit—basal portion firm, rather
brittle ; of vents soft, very yielding ; colour in spirit dull pinkish
brown. Main skeleton—no visible horny matter, spicules loosely
aggregated in fibres ; primary fibres vertical to surface, -28 to
•42 millim. apart, 3 to 5 spicules broad ; secondary fibres approximately
vertical to primaries, about -28 to -42 millim. apart, 2 to 5
spicules broad. Dermal skeleton composed of long subparallel
spiculo-fibres, rather compact, without visible horny material, 3 to
10 spicules broad, '53 to -7 millim. apart ; the intermediate spaces
aro occupied by an irregular 1-2-spicular network. Subjacent
sarcode transparent, pale brown ; that of dermis almost colourless,
pinkish. Spicules smooth acerate, tapering to moderately sharp
points from within about two diameters of ends ; size -33 by •0125
to -019 millim.
Hah. Port Darwin, between tide-marks ; bottom rock and
sand.
The specimen is an irregularly flattened mass, 75 millim. (3 inches)
long, 35 millim. broad, 20 millim. in greatest thickness, and involves
several stones in its substance. The peculiar arrangement of the
excretory tubes distinguishes it from any species which I can
find described. In the allied form Pellina semituhulosa, Lieber-
kiilm (Schmidt, Adr. Meer. p. 7 5 ; Atl. Geb. p. 41), perhaps the
most nearly related described species, the spicules taper very gradually
to sharp points, as in Amorphina panicea, Johnston, and
measure -38 to -44 by -01 millim., and no true vent-tubos seem to
be formed either in this or in the other species referred to Pellina
by Schmidt.
50. Protoschmidtia hispidula. (P la te XLI. figs. 7), 79'.)
Erect, lohose, nodular, the subcylindrical lobes have a slight
tendency to branch sideways and a strong tendency to anastomose ;
lobes about 4 to 6 millim. in diameter. Growth bushy (i. e. in
more than one plane). Surface beset with a velvet-like pile of fine
hair-like points, -5 to 1 millim. apart and about '25 to -75 millim.
high ; between points, leathery aud glabrous. Vents ? Texture
in spirit elastic and fairly compressible, tough ; colour dark reddish
brown. Main skeleton consisting of spiculo-fibre 4 to 6 spicules
broad, closely but not firmly united ; numerous short parallel
primary fibres run vertically to surface, mostly into the surface-
points ; these are connected below by long secondary fibres, approximately
at right angles to them ; internal skeleton consisting chie^flv of
long more or less curved spiculo-fibres and membranous expansions
containing non-aggregated spicules, surrounding rounded spaces.
Derma skeleton formed by the projection of the ends of the primary
main-skeleton hues; the spaces between these are occupied bv
numerous spicules irregularly scattered over the membrane which
covers the snrlace occasionally aggregated into irregular loose pauci-
spicular tracts Sarcode of interior reddish brown (darkest around
the fibres), rather granular, of connli very dark opaque red-brown
Spicules smooth acerate, very slightly curved, tapering to sharp
millim diameters from ends; size -14 b y -0063
m /d ^ ^ ' Island, Northern Australia, 3 -4 fms.; bottom
^ fragment, both in spirit, the former 45 millim
( i f inch) high by 40 millim. across ; a Serpula is imbedded in thè
lower part, whmh forms (from anastomosis) almost one continuous
mass,^ and small specimens of Serialaria are growino- on it. The
tenacity of the internal fibres and membranes shows the presence of
a stronger element than ordinary sarcode ; but horny outlines are
ï 2 e ‘^'«^'''Siiished on the fibres, although the sarcode is darker
BTymenZacZcZow hretti and tkomasi, Bowerhank
(British seas) ; hut the spicules of these species are far longer than
those here, and the surface-roughness does not extend to the nro-
duction of the characteristic hair-like points found here, which
resemble those oi Euspongia. Dr. Gray (P .Z .S . 1867 p. 518)
retains these species in Reniera, with most of the acerate-spiculed
species 0Î Hymeniacidon described by Bowerbank ; Schmidt ( Atl
Geb. p. /6 ) assigns them to Amorphina. Protoschmidtia fora-
mmosa, Czerniavsky (Bull. Soc. Mose. 1879, p. 98), Black Sea, agrees
in the proportions and forms of its spicules, in colour, &c differing
mainly m its much less rough surface and distinct vents ; so I placé
s^“ ® g®ni3s in preference to Amorphina, which
It Halichondria panicea is to be regarded as typical of its structure,
should include forms with a distinctly reticulate dermal
skeleton aud absence of tough and deeply coloured sarcode from the
hbres.
51. Schmidtia variabilis. ( P l a t e XXNTN fig ]ji.
P l a t e XLI. f ig . t.) ’
Decumbent; consisting of elongated horizontal (sometimes vertically
flattened-out) lobes of very irregular, more or less angular
outline, sometimes branching and anastomosing; the upper marrin
rises a t intervals into low elevations, which consist of thick-walfed
wide, rounded tubes, 3 to 7 millim. in diameter at the mouth’
within which the true vents unite at about 6 millim. below mouth •’
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